


Our Quiet Moments

by ChillsofFire



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Post-War, Starscream gets some well deserved TLC, back massage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:29:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23810854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillsofFire/pseuds/ChillsofFire
Summary: Soundwave helps Starscream relax after a long day of work.
Relationships: Soundwave/Starscream
Comments: 4
Kudos: 116





	Our Quiet Moments

**Author's Note:**

> This was a request from someone on Tumblr looking for some fluffy SoundStar; I was happy to oblige!

He was rubbing his shoulder again.

Soundwave didn’t stop what he was doing, he could mix Starscream’s energon blindfolded and needed no extra thought spared toward the action, but he did fix his attention on the Seeker, watching him where he sat.

Starscream rubbed at his shoulder for a moment more, his optics still trained on the screen in front of him. It was easy for Soundwave to imagine the expression he most likely wore. Optics studiously focused on his reading, mouth wearing only the slightest hint of a frown, optic ridges furrowed in a combination of concentration and annoyance; Soundwave had seen it often enough by now.

Sharp digits shifted farther down, pressing at a spot just above Starscream’s wing. They moved in a small circle before Starscream removed his servo, his ache momentarily soothed. His right shoulder shrugged. His wing twitched. The words on his screen scrolled by.

Soundwave picked up the cube of energon, swirling now with silver and a hint of copper, a combination Soundwave would never understand but a request he would never deny Starscream of, and stepped out from around the counter.

Starscream’s servo came up to rub at his shoulder again.

“Thank you,” it was a distracted and mumbled display of gratitude, but Soundwave accepted it all the same, only letting go of the cube when he was sure Starscream had a good grasp on it. Starscream kept his optics on the screen, attention never faltering even as he sipped from his drink.

_Is he even aware of what he’s doing?_

Soundwave doubted it. Especially when Starscream’s digits came to a slow stop, still pressing against his back. It was almost like he’d forgotten his servo was still attached to his body.

Soundwave stepped away, this time shifting to stand directly behind Starscream so he could study his back, where and how and when those digits began to move again.

His right wing was stiff. A fact betrayed by the way it stuck out to one side. It was extremely subtle, the misalignment was only by one, maybe two degrees, but Soundwave recognized it immediately. A tight cable then. Or perhaps a stuck piece of plating that Starscream couldn’t quite reach.

 _He must have slept oddly last night._ It wouldn’t surprise him. Late nights and early mornings meant that Starscream had recently developed a habit of falling into stasis as soon as he hit the berth, regardless of the position he landed in. Running a city definitely had its disadvantages.

Starscream moved his servo, and this time it fell to the keyboard so he could begin typing what Soundwave was sure was another addition, correction, or strongly worded disagreement about a proposed law. It would be one of at thirty-seven written since Starscream had sat down three cycles ago.

“Did anyone even _attempt_ to read this before sending it to me?”

He needed to take a break.

Soundwave stepped closer, reaching forward to play with the adjustable settings on the chair. Starscream grunted and leaned forward when the back he was leaning on suddenly folded away, turning the chair into a stool and exposing the full of his back and wings to Soundwave. He voiced no complaint on the matter, so Soundwave continued.

Gently he placed his servos on either side of Starscream’s lower back, applying just enough pressure to allow him to feel for anything that might be misaligned or out of place. He moved them up, pace slow and steady, framing Starscream’s spinal column and tracing the edge of the thruster that sat between his shoulders. Up between the thruster and the inside of the wings, and then down again on the outside.

Starscream’s servos went still against his keyboard, “I am attempting to work here, you know.”

Soundwave could hear the smile he was trying to fight, and there was a softness in his voice that betrayed the way the touch had relaxed him.

“No one is stopping you,” Soundwave made sure to turn the volume on his speakers down. Starscream snorted in reply, but the twitch of his wings, the subtle way he opened them and pressed back into Soundwave’s touch, was all the invitation Soundwave needed.

Up and down, pressing firmly around the wings and massaging slow circles at his shoulders, Soundwave worked his servos over Starscream’s back. He knew how Starscream liked it, knew all the weak points and sensitive spots. This was as easy to him as hacking. A probe here, a careful adjustment there, and Starscream went strutless under his touch.

It was still hard for Soundwave to believe that this was how he and Starscream ended up. The beginning of the war had seen them as two bots pulled together by faction loyalty alone. Soundwave had not trusted Starscream, a feeling that had obviously been mutual, and had, more times than he could count, wondered why exactly Megatron had decided he could be kept alive. But their relationship had morphed, so slowly, and with changes so subtle, that it was impossible for Soundwave to retrace their steps without becoming lost.

When exactly had he started trusting Starscream? And when exactly had Starscream started seeking out his company? What conversations, what specific sequence of words, had led to the formation of emotional attachments? When was the first time Soundwave had felt worried when Starscream had gone radio silent for too long? When was the first time Starscream had jumped to his defense? What specific order of events, which exact actions, had led to them leaving the _Nemesis_ side by side, ready to begin their new lives together?

Eventually Soundwave had decided that it didn’t matter. This time, he was willing to simply accept that this was how things were now. Starscream welcomed his touch, trusting that no pain would come from it. Soundwave slept contently beside him, even bared his face to him occasionally. They read together, curled on the couch in a haphazard pile of limbs and wings. They held each other when nightmares left them shaking late at night. They shared secrets and jokes, and laughed at their foolishness in the past. They were happy. They were safe.

Starscream hummed, and Soundwave turned his thoughts back to the task at hand. His digits sought out gaps in the plating; thin and nimble as they were, it was easy for him to reach sensitive wires and tired cables. Steadily he worked his way over every inch of Starscream’s back, never straying from a spot until he was certain there was nothing left to bother his Seeker. Cables loosened, plating shifted, and Starscream’s EM field buzzed with a delightful current that warmed Soundwave’s digits. A fact he used to his advantage by dipping them deeper beneath the plating, seeking out harder to reach spots with a warm and gentle touch.

Starscream _purred_ ; a sound that Soundwave was quick to record and save for later use. His servos fell from the keyboard, coming to rest in his lap.

So much for working.

Soundwave concentrated on Starscream’s wings joints, seeking out every cable he could reach, carefully shifting each wing and stabilizer so he could be certain that nothing was blocking their movements. Nothing was to be overlooked.

“That feels…mm…” Starscream trailed off with an appreciative sigh. Soundwave smiled behind his mask, bringing his servos up to focus more intently on Starscream’s shoulders. His thumbs traced up the back of Starscream’s neck, and Starscream’s chin fell into his chest. Soundwave smiled wider, and while his servos never faltered, he extended one cable, snaking it around Starscream to attach to the computer. He made sure all of Starscream’s hard work was triple saved before shutting it down.

“Come up a little…that’s it…”

Soundwave pressed a little more firmly against the back of Starscream’s neck, working his servos up until he could massage small circles into the base of his helm. Starscream raised his head, only to let it fall back, cradled safely in Soundwave’s servos. His optics were closed, his mouth parted just slightly, and Soundwave felt his spark warm at the sight. It wasn’t rare to see Starscream relaxed, not now, but it was still nice to see regardless.

His digits slowed until he was doing little more than rubbing his thumbs up and down along the back of Starscream’s helm, still carefully holding him so no unnecessary pressure was put on his neck. Starscream hummed his appreciation.

“That’s one way to get my attention…” Starscream cracked one optic open to peer up at Soundwave. “I don’t suppose I could get you to do that again with some hot oil?”

Soundwave pulsed amusement through his field, a silent laugh, and Starscream sighed dramatically.

“Even if I asked nicely?”

Soundwave tilted his head in mock question, his field pulsing again.

“I can to ask nicely!” Starscream tried to sound insulted, but the contentment that warmed his field dulled the edge of his tone, a fact he seemed to pick up on, if the slight pout that formed on his face was anything to go by.

Soundwave smiled again, bringing one servo up so he could trace a single digit over the length of Starscream’s helm crest. Starscream hummed in response.

“Is the monitor off?”

Soundwave nodded.

“Good. I was getting tired of reading that mess,” Starscream sat up slowly, stretching his arms and legs. “I think it’s about time we went to bed.”

 _Agreed._ Soundwave stepped back as Starscream stood, looking more than satisfied with the effects of Soundwave’s massage. But he did not immediately move toward their berthroom; instead Starscream moved closer to the windows that made up one wall of their home.

Sprawled out before them was the bustling city of Vos. It had taken years to rebuild, to bring back life to their planet, and when they had been ready to seek out a permanent home Starscream had insisted on settling where they could see the fruits of their labor. Now they looked out upon the glowing city, the lights of roads and flight paths and the neon of signs and buildings reaching their high set windows. It was a sight Starscream took obvious pride in, no matter how many times he stopped to take it in.

Soundwave stepped up beside him, looking down with mild interest at the night life.

“It’s beautiful,” Starscream’s voice was soft, “isn’t it?”

Soundwave turned his head to look at him, to watch the way the lights from below reflected in Starscream’s optics. The way the slow blinking air traffic signals made his polished armor glow. Starscream looked proud as he stood watch over his thriving domain, his wings held with relaxed confidence behind him.

Soundwave felt his spark warm as he quietly admired the Seeker he had grown to love. He nodded, his optics never leaving Starscream’s face.

“Beautiful.”


End file.
